


The Speed of Night

by Regina_Wren



Category: Moon Child (2003)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Explicit Language, Gen, Introspection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-12-23
Updated: 2006-12-23
Packaged: 2019-10-10 03:22:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17418089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Regina_Wren/pseuds/Regina_Wren
Summary: One night, the boys score big after robbing a local gang, prompting Sho to consider his life and where to go from there.





	The Speed of Night

We are the worms in hell's trash can. Orphaned street-children born to poor Japanese immigrants are the lowest of all outcasts. Maybe that's why Kei came here when he wanted to die. Mallepa's South Ward, the city's arsehole, where the most miserable scum to ever crawl the earth gather. Garbage tends to pile up in one place, after all. That was how we all found each other in the first place.

But at least we know how to survive.

"Left!"

I don't think anymore when I hear Kei's voice. Dodge, spin, aim, fire, before the guy can shoot again. It's almost too easy.

The guard topples past the door he was coming through, sprawling on the floor. The office is trashed already so his corpse doesn't even seem particularly out of place in between piles of disc-cases and papers.

We were hitting drug traffickers for a while but Kei didn't much like the taste of junky's blood; said it gave him headaches. The local piracy gangs make for a much easier target. Less guns for one thing. Which also makes it less challenging, but you can't have everything.

"There's always someone who doesn't get pizza," Kei remarks casually. In a flicker of red he's beside the filing cabinet, shifting folders off it so he can get at the safe in the wall.

"Didn't want to leave the room unguarded, I guess." Most of the guards were sleeping by the time we got here though. Toshi should be going through their pockets right now.

There is a loud clang as Kei gives the safe a good thump with the heel of his palm. The wall cracks in protest but the safe door opens without complaint.

"Hey, Sho, did you know you could make this much money being a pirate?" he asks, stepping aside so that I can see.

Stacks of money are piled up inside the safe, enough to make my pulse speed up. We've hit the jackpot! Pirate's treasure, and plenty to go around. Maybe I can even afford an upgrade from my shithole of an apartment.

A bag of film discs stands on the table beside me and I empty it quickly and begin filling it with money instead. Small bundles of promise, fragile bills that hold so much potential. In the meantime Kei wanders off to find himself breakfast.

This part of the South Ward is quieter than most. It's mainly made up of warehouses around here, and if I try I can hear water gurgling in the canal flowing past. Occasionally the sound of traffic and gunshots elsewhere drift over, but I don't hear anything nearby right now.

Thankfully Kei does.

I'm rooting through the rest of the office for any valuables we could pawn when Kei shows up again.

"Someone's coming," he says, wiping his mouth. Blood still stains his skin, clinging even as he rubs at his chin to remove the telling signs, but he's not as pallid as usual now that he's regained some of the colour in his cheeks. "A dozen men or more. Toshi's already taken off."

Now I can hear it too, the sound of footsteps approaching.

"Let's go."

The night air is warm and humid trapped down here between the buildings. The men sound closer now than I had expected but they won't catch us and the back alley is pitch dark, hiding us in its shadows. Our feet are flying at the speed of night as we bolt out into the labyrinthine streets. Someone shouts out but I don't know if they've seen us and I don't look back. We keep running.

This district is like a maze but I've grown up on these streets and the twisting lanes keep outsiders out, mainly because they can't find their way through. Only those of us who live here know: if you aren't looking for anything you don't get lost. Above us, a narrow band of stars is visible beyond the buildings. Down here only grimy windows and burning trash provide any light. The smell of refuse, smoke, and decay clings to the walls, heavy and permanent. It's all so familiar, the only home I've ever known.

But right now I am flying high above it all even as my feet hit the street surface. Running through these streets always makes me feel alive, even more so after a good fight, and the weight in my hand is a reminder of just how much we've gained tonight. These streets are the best place to be because they never let you forget who you are. If you run fast enough maybe you'll survive. And if you're lucky you might be able to find your way out of the labyrinth before the walls squeeze you out of existence. Nothing else ever comes close to being this real.

The old square opens up ahead. Finally. This is our safety mark. It's populous and far enough away to discourage pursuers. This is our symbol of success.

Kei and I stop running and dive into the crowd.

No one is following us.

Toshi yells in jubilation when he sees us.

"How'd we do?"

I throw the bag at him.

"What?" He grunts when it hits him in the chest. "All this? We're moving up in the world!" He grins and swings an arm around my shoulders. "So, do you know what you're going to buy with your share yet?"

The square is full of life even at this time of night; people out to enjoy themselves, to spend money on whatever entertainments this district offers, or maybe just to get lost in the crowd. I shove my hands into my pockets as the three of us start making our way home.

"A better apartment than my shithouse place."

"Ah, I think I'll go shopping through some antique shops, I need some more nice things."

Even Kei has a small smile on his face.

Loud music pours onto the square from the door of a bar and bright lights chase away the encroaching night. Mostly it's young people wandering around, the occasional street-child a reminder of just where Toshi and I have come from. All around us are the tearaways, the lost, those left behind. But the bag between us promises a much better future.

We may be aimless but we're not hopeless.


End file.
